Australia opened their campaign with a clinical 81-43 victory over FIBA Africa runners-up Angola on Saturday.

However, the clinical power they showed in their first game was not seen against Latvia as both sides shot poorly from the field. 

The difference between the two sides was Australia’s defence.

Shyla Heal scored her first bucket for the Sapphires and from there the Australian’s didn’t let up, getting out to an 11-0 lead before Latvia finally got on the scoreboard.

While Latvia shook off their shooting problems in the second they could only manage 21.7 percent shooting with no players reaching double digits. Australia also struggled offensively in the second, managing only ten points. 

Heal and Alexander Fowler began to stand out as the lone sharp shooters with both knocking down four points in the second period and were the only two players to shoot over 50 percent from the field.

The Sapphires started the second half of the match with a 25-11 lead but the third quarter saw their offence take off as Isobel Anstey scored eight points. 

Both sides continued to struggle shooting from range, it was the Sapphires strong defence and ability to score in the paint that allowed them to build on their lead which saw them have a commanding 21-point lead heading into the final quarter.

A couple of poor turnovers from the Sapphires in the four quarter allowed Latvia to chip away at the Australian lead. The Sapphires put the Latvian’s into the bonus with four minutes remaining, allowing the opposition to win the quarter.